La Mostra    San Sebastiano fuori le mura

View of St. Sebastian's fuori le Mura

Saint Sebastian's ouside the walls is one of the three churches which, besides the four patriarchal basilicas, represented the classic legs of the visit to the seven churches.

Roma antica, e moderna o sia nuova descrizione di tutti gl'edifizj antichi, e moderni sagri, e profani della città di Roma..., vol. I, Roma 1765

The Seven churches of Rome with their relics, stations and indulgences

Reprinted in 1660 ca. by Giovanni Giacomo de’ Rossi from plates by Giacomo Lauro and Antonio Tempesta, this publication first came out for the Jubilee of 1600. It was republished as a pilgrims’ guide in 1609, 1621, 1630 and 1636. De Rossi’s reprint was the first to feature the Basilica of St Peter’s with Bernini’s colonnade. The lower right-hand corner of the reproduced map shows the “nine churches circuit”, an extended version of the seven churches traditionally included on the tour: the Church of San Paolo alle tre fontane and the Church of the Annunziatella, both of which Filippo Neri sometimes included owing to their proximity to Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

Le sette chiese di Roma con le loro principali reliquie stationi et indul.tie, Roma 1660

The nine churches to visit to get indulgences

The seven churches circuit was on occasion extended to nine by adding the Church of San Paolo alle tre fontane and the Church of the Annunziatella, both of which were close to Saint Paul Outside the Walls. San Paolo alle tre fontane was traditionally thought to be located on the spot where the apostle Paul was decapitated. That church was later incorporated into the abbey complex. Consecrated in 1220 by Pope Honorius III and dedicated to Maria Annunziata, hence its popular name “Annunziatella”, the church was attached to a hospital that cared for pilgrims.

Les neuf eglises qu'on visite pour avoir les indulgences, in: François Jacques Deseine, Rome moderne, première ville de l'Europe, avec toutes ses magnificences et ses délices..., vol. VI, Leiden 1713

The "Descriptio urbis Romae novissima" by Giovanni Maggi

In 1600, a map of the city was produced for Jubilee pilgrims, framed as a polyptych in eight vignettes depicting the Holy Door opening ceremony at St Peter’s and the city’s seven most important churches. This map, made by Roman engraver Giovanni Maggi, was a great commercial success. It was reprinted a number of times; this version is from 1672. Its small format and the inclusion of brief historical and descriptive notes made it useful to pilgrims as a guide.

Giovanni Maggi, Descriptio urbis Romae novissima a. D. MDCLXXII, Roma 1672